The Suburbs
by Subject1617
Summary: Though times seem peaceful, they rarely ever are as Joel finds out yet again. He and Ellie walk through an forgotten neighbourhood, a quick short cut to the highway. En route, the smuggler is met with yet another test of his will and strength when a rather unsuspecting emergency demands his attention. (Test)


_A/N: Just a quick oneshot inspired by something I saw on Tumblr from thefireflycargo. Though it isn't exactly what I wanted to do, though I'm fairly happy with it considering I write Joel and Ellie once in a blue moon. I like exploring their characters the best I can, and hopefully in time I'll improve. Until then, enjoy!_

The suburbs were quiet, Joel reflected as studied the neighborhood he and Ellie passed through. The houses that lined the street were relatively intact considering the twenty years of neglect they had been put through. Doors stood on their hinges, most of the windows were unscathed and the grass and plants that grew were as tame as they were ever going to be. Though, as calm as it seemed, there were signs of discontent too, as always. Not that long ago, feral dogs had fought tooth and nail over what seemed like the leftovers of a hare or even a squirrel, snarling and snapping at one another until eventually the largest of them all made off with the carcass. It wasn't just the living that was out of shape either. One of the houses Joel saw had been painted on and claimed, though when he and Ellie had slithered past unnoticed, they saw no one and heard nothing of potential residents inside. He figured that the occupants had long since moved on with the way the paint had faded with their warning message. Whether they had left to another part of the country or to a grave, he did not know nor did he care for that matter.

Joel was always careful whenever they moved out in the open like this, glancing ahead and calculating any threats or escape routes. He rarely noticed he did it anymore. The past few months had forced him to make a habit of it and now the action became routine. Today, however, he found it difficult to concentrate wholly on the street ahead of him. The heat of the summer day was overwhelming. It was much hotter than it had been any day before. Joel could feel the sweat bleed into his hair and run down the side of his face, dripping off the edge of his jaw. He wanted to avoid imagining what he looked like compared to what he felt.

Joel contemplated resting when he noticed an open garage up ahead. It would be a decent place to stop for a few moments, but only a moment. He and Ellie were nearing the end of the suburbs and would eventually make their way back along the highway. He wanted to reach it before nightfall where travelling was much more dangerous than in broad daylight. Half of him argued against the idea. After all, it was midday and they had only been travelling for a few hours. Although, no matter how hard logic argued, the side that won the internal debate was the one that thought about the radiating sun and the fact he'd be ten pounds lighter after sweating it all away if they kept going. Joel swerved to the right, starting towards the garage with an added spring in his step, fueled by the idea of a break no matter how short.

"Why don't we stop for a bit? Get a drink and eat something before we keep moving." Joel called back to Ellie, informing her on the sudden change of plans. He was already imagining the water he craved, though in his thoughts the water was ice cold versus the reality of the close to scorching supplies he had with him. Joel heard no reply, though he wasn't too bothered by the fact. Both of them kept to themselves on days like today, happy for the peace at long last. The girl usually hung back, always within Joel's sight had he happened to glance back to look for her. And had she begin to feel forgotten, she would always comment on something they saw.

He reached the tall fence paneling, looking a gap wide enough for him to get through. Finding a gateway, he moved the loose panel out of the way, looking over his shoulder for the girl.

"Ellie?"

Some distance away she leaned heavily against an old car that had been left parked on the side of the street decades ago. Joel could see her legs trembling from the fence, her hands struggling to keep grip on the car. As he watched in silent, concerned questioning, her muscles gave in and she crumpled to the concrete.

At first Joel couldn't comprehend what he had witnessed, until his senses urged him towards her.

He bolted after her, his hand hovering over his gun as he went. He gave the horizon one last look before setting his sights on the girl laying crookedly in the street. Joel leaned over her, putting his hands on her shoulders. Gently, he shook her, hoping she would open her eyes and that they could be on their way to someplace more secure than the middle of the street.

"Ellie? C'mon Ellie."

Looking at her now, Joel realized that her fair skin was now red like a burn. Placing his hands over her forehead, his touch was met with alarmingly warm skin that was dry to the bone.

Joel rubbed his own forehead, caked with sweat from the heat. Stopping now was useless if not dangerous for the both of them.

Suddenly, glass smashed on the pavement nearby. Joel was armed in an instant after his startle, his gun in his hand and his finger on the trigger. His eyes swept the street, knowing just how venerable they were in the middle of the street. Putting an arm under her, Joel prepared himself to run after the first shot. He knew he could never fight and win with an unconscious girl to carry. The enemy Joel anticipated was nothing but one of the dogs that he had spotted earlier, racing by with another chasing quickly after it. They had knocked over a crate full of metal and glass, sending it the floor. Sheathing is gun, Joel scooped Ellie up into his arms, moving away from the broken old car that remained on the street.

She was light enough to carry across the street towards the garage at a brisk pace, until they reached the fence. Hardly thinking, Joel kicked at the rotten wood until planks began to break away. He stepped through the new opening, looking over his shoulder and down the street one last time. The racket might have brought them unwanted attention by someone who hadn't yet noticed them.

Entering the garage and placing Ellie in the middle of the concrete floor, Joel shed his bag and began to dig through it.

"She's too hot." Joel found himself saying. "She'll come back 'round in no time."

Joel brought out the water he had, forcing himself to slow down to unscrew the lid properly. He didn't want to slow down. Every instinct he had told him to hurry and fix the problem before it could get any worse. He lowered the bottle to her lips, but the water flowed more down her chin than her throat. The smuggler could hear tiny, incoherent murmurings coming from her mouth. It was a good sign, the best he had gotten so far.

"Ellie!" He did his best to make his voice sound encouraging, hoping she'd recover sooner rather than later. His hopes were quickly nullified when her brief mutterings stopped all together.

Defeated for now, Joel laid her head underneath her bag that he had taken from Ellie to allow her some rest. It had been the heat that did this to her, he was certain of it. Joel tried to reason with himself to be patient and that she would wake up in her own time. It was easier said than done to convince himself that his concerns were exaggerated and not necessary.

Eyeing the garage door, Joel stood up to close it. They would be here a while it seemed. The door closed loudly, every rusty chain and nail protesting against the sudden movement. With a quick slam, the two were shut off from the neighborhood. Joel turned around, unsure of what to do. He felt useless just waiting here when there had to be something he could do. He shook his head for answers, but found none due to his panic. Wiping his forehead, Joel lowered himself to the ground, leaning against an old tool chest that had been raided and left behind. He was tired and the heat and given him a good beating too, but he refused to close his eyes. He would stay awake and watch Ellie's condition.

He brought the handgun out of its holster, fingering the handle of the nine millimeter. He listened carefully for sounds outside the garage, but was met with nothing but an unnerving silence. After months of running and fighting, it seemed unusual to have time to think for once. Returning the gun after deciding he would have no use of it, Joel looked back to Ellie who hadn't moved. Joel tipped his head back, running his fingers through his greying hair. He would have to wait.

* * *

Time passed quickly for Joel. He watched as the sun moved and cast light into the garage through the solitary window until it vanished all together in the evening. Joel kept to his own thoughts, finding himself thinking and questioning the course of action he should take. There were many options and the longer he waited the more daunting his choices became. No matter how much he tried to force it away, the idea of Ellie falling ill kept creeping back into his skull. He would have to find refuge in one of the suburban houses until she recovered, defending it all the while he attempted to find supplies in an already raided town. The more he thought about it the more additions his scenarios took on. Perhaps they were to be suddenly raided by Clickers or a group who still lived in the houses and he had failed to see. Maybe there was no medicine to be had in the houses…

_Stop it, Joel. It's the heat talkin'. She'll be fine._

His crowded thoughts were interrupted then, much to Joel's relief.

Ellie began to shuffle on the floor, bringing her hands to face. Joel sat up straighter, looking towards her with sharp eyes. She groaned to herself as she came to her senses, her voice becoming clearer. "Joel?"

"I'm here." He replied, taking the water bottle from the floor, untouched since they had settled here.  
"I feel like shit." The girl announced, bringing herself up to sit with the help of Joel.

He handed her the water, ordering her to drink. "The heat got to you."

She rubbed her eyes, looking about the garage. "Where are we?"

"That doesn't matter." Joel replied, shaking off the topic, urging her to take the bottle. She finally took it, taking deep mouthfuls, putting to rest Joel's concerns. "Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling that good?"

"I didn't know." Ellie said, handing back the bottle. "I was just walking along one minute, and the next…"

The girl shrugged but began to argue when Joel glanced at her with incredulity. "Honestly!"

"We'll stay here for the night and make it to the highway tomorrow." Joel told her, routing through his pack for something he could eat. He hadn't realized how hungry he was after Ellie had taken up most of his thought.

"Okay." Ellie reached for her own bag.

"Hopefully it'll be cooler." Joel said, though whether his comment was to soothe himself or Ellie, he wasn't sure.

Ellie snorted. "Yeah, it'll rain. Or better yet, it'll be snowing by time we get moving. Just what we need."

The corner of Joel's mouth twitched into a brief smirk. He would gladly accept the rain if it meant getting rid of the exhausting heat.

"Tomorrow, tell me if we need to slow down." Joel said as he looked over Ellie's reddened face and pale lips. "And we should look for some more water."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I _can_ take care of myself."

"I'm sure." Joel replied, despite his head making it hard for him to accept the fact. He was always telling himself that she was capable should something go wrong as it always did these days. Something was lacking in his ability to accept the fact, however, and being unable to put his finger on what, he ignored the feeling all together. It didn't matter if the girl could take care of herself or not. Joel was stuck with her and he didn't have plans of leaving any time soon.

Another quick glance at Ellie settled Joel's nerves once and for all. Using her backpack as a pillow, she had started to flip through one of her books, appearing as though nothing had happened at all.

Content for now, Joel settled down to sleep through the exhaustion, hoping that tomorrow faired a little better for them both.


End file.
